


Fourth of July in Yavin

by BatuuPrincess



Series: The Yavin Holiday Collection [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birthday, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Part of the Christmas in Yavinverse, Surprises, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:55:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25052038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatuuPrincess/pseuds/BatuuPrincess
Summary: As the Fourth of July (and her birthday) inch closer, Rey finds herself at a number of crossroads while Poe buries himself in work.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: The Yavin Holiday Collection [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636381
Comments: 24
Kudos: 53





	Fourth of July in Yavin

**Author's Note:**

> Happy third of July also known as Hamilton day from this day forth! 
> 
> A huge shout out to reader sarah, whose delightful comment on the previous update to this series made me get off my ass and make this story happen.
> 
> And an even bigger shout out to the lovely folks on the damerey discord who helped me come up with a plot for this monster. Guys, I don't know how, but I'm pretty sure I ended up working almost all of your ideas into this thing. Or at least way too many of them. Either way, I hope everyone enjoys this next installment!

Poe was up to something. Over the many, many years she’d known him, Rey had learned to read the signs. Quiet? Check. Distracted? Check. Cagey? Double check. All the signs were there. Especially as Rey sat down to breakfast the first morning of her week-long vacation.

It was her birthday week, a week she’d chosen to take some of that hard-earned vacation time she’d accrued since starting at Resistance Media. A week that culminated in not only the anniversary of her own birth, but the birth of America as well. A week she’d chosen to spend in Yavin with Poe. 

What she’d imagined was a week-long sex-cation. Breakfast in bed. Post-breakfast sex in bed. Long walks with Bea. More sex, bed optional. Dinner. Sex as dessert. Cuddles leading to, you guessed it, more sex. 

It had been a while, okay?

But what she’d got was a strangely aloof Poe completely preoccupied by an upcoming deadline for the Pottery Barn collaboration. She’d been home for nearly 72 hours and they’d managed to squeeze in one quickie. Unacceptable.

And it was about more than sex, of course it was. It was about spending more than 48 uninterrupted hours with Poe for the first time since that whirlwind Christmas in Yavin, when they’d somehow managed to reconnect and fall in love in the space of a month. It was about finally starting to finalize plans for the wedding and picking a fucking date. It was about maybe figuring out what their next steps would be once they were married. 

Because they both knew that they couldn’t keep the current arrangement indefinitely. It was hell on their relationship, and it would be worse on their marriage. They’d talked about kids, which they both wanted, but the thought of somehow trying to straddle both Coruscant and Yavin while raising them made her skin itch. So, decisions. That is, if she could get Poe to focus on something besides work.

Rey tried not to see the irony in that statement.

“Morning,” she said, filling her favorite mug to the brim with coffee. It was the good stuff, the fair trade beans that Poe bought and ground himself. She took a deep breath, letting the rich, nutty scent fill her nose before sliding next to Poe at the island and taking a sip. 

“Morning,” he replied, accepting her kiss on the cheek before turning back to his Yavin Gazette. “How’s the coffee?”

Ok. Apparently, they were talking about coffee. But Rey could work with this. “Delicious as always. Though I was hoping for a little something stronger for breakfast.” The words made little to no sense, but she said it in a tone that made her intent quite obvious.

But not to Poe. “Hmm? I can pick up a darker roast later. You want anything for breakfast?” His eyes never left the paper. 

Honestly, there couldn’t be anything _that_ interesting in that thing. Yavin was a sleepy town. About four newsworthy things happened per year here, so the Yavin Gazette mainly dealt in cute stories about the local lemonade stand or church picnic. The Times it was not. 

Bee chose that minute to plod into the kitchen, a dopey little smile on her face. After a look around, she determined there was no food to beg for and promptly dropped to the floor to sulk. Same girl, same.

But Rey could do something about it. She just needed to be more direct.

“Poe?” She waited until he finally looked up from the paper. “I was hoping to have you for breakfast. And lunch. And both dinner and dessert.”

At her confession, Poe got that smile on his face, the one he always caught between his teeth. The one that promised she’d be moaning his name for hours on end.

He leaned forward, his tan forearms on full display. Soon they’d be wrapped around her, the muscles and tendons flexing as he pushed into…

Abruptly, the smile dropped off his face. “I’d love to, babe,” he said, knowing full well how much she hated to be called that. “But I’ve got to get these final designs nailed down before the holiday or we won’t make production deadlines.” He leaned his head forward, dropping a blink-and-you’d-miss-it kiss on her pursed lips. “And anyway, weren’t you and Finn planning on catching up? See, now you have plenty of time.”

He was being overly cheerful, and trying to bring her along with him. Rey tried not to actively pout. It wasn’t a good look on her, especially since 9 times out of every 10 it was her working late and ruining all their plans. But still, she had to give it one last try. 

“Are you sure?” she asked, attempting to keep the whine out of her voice. Her hand fidgeted with the diamond that she still wasn’t quite used to wearing even nearly three months later. “It couldn’t wait one more day?”

Poe’s face got serious, dropping the cheerful act. “I’m so sorry,” he said, grabbing her hand. His thumb brushed over the ring she’d been fiddling with a second ago. “You know I’d much rather be doing…” He tilted his head toward her with a smirk. “But if I don’t finish these prototypes, then we can’t go into production. And if we can’t go into production, then there’s no Pottery Barn collaboration. And if there’s no Pottery Barn collaboration, Finn will murder me.”

Rey huffed out a laugh in spite of herself. “That’s true.”

“Very true.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Fine. But you’re making it up to me.”

“Of course. I’ll cook you dinner. Anything your little heart desires.”

Her eyebrows raised. “Anything?”

“Well, within reason.” He leaned in, his next words murmured directly into her ear even though it was just the two of them. “Gotta leave something for dessert.”

A little thrill went up her spine. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

At that, Poe caught her lips with his own, a real kiss this time. Rey let her arms find their way around his neck, the scratch of his beard on the sensitive skin around her mouth somehow both familiar and thrilling. All too soon, he was pulling away, but not before one last peck in parting. 

“Tonight?” he asked, mischief playing in those warm, dark eyes.

“Tonight.”

“Say hi to Finn for me?”

“Of course.” Rey gave him a weak smile, and for a second he faltered, that over-the-top grin slipping. 

But it was back in the blink of an eye, and with a final brush of his lips, he was out the back door, leaving Rey with the sinking feeling that she’d just been handled. Yup, he was definitely up to something.

The rest of the week passed in much the same way. Every morning Rey woke hopeful that it would be the day they’d start vacation in earnest, and every morning Poe had another excuse. Not to mention that her friends and family seemed to be taking turns occupying her while Poe did whatever it was he did in the shed. Because that wasn’t suspicious at all.

Monday, of course, Finn had wanted to hang out. Not that she was complaining. To her great surprise, it had been a fun day, regardless of how crabby she’d started out. Something about being able to spend time, just the two of them, had finally mended what her 12-year absence threatened to destroy. They had talked for damn near seven hours straight before Rey returned home, smiling and starving and a little bit hoarse, to her apology feast. Poe had made her “their meal,” an exact replica of what they’d had the first time she’d come to dinner in this house. And all was officially forgiven when he, as tradition dictated, carried her upstairs for dessert.

Then Tuesday came along and her dad suddenly and desperately needed her help in the store, which turned out to be an excuse to spend the day catching up between the limited customers. Rey couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that they needed to catch up, especially when she was in town so often these days. It still felt weird to be in Yavin and not stay with her dad, but at some point over the last seven months, Poe’s house had become home and the house she’d grown up in had become solely her father’s. She supposed that’s what it meant to grow up (and not run away), but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

And Wednesday… Well, Wednesday didn’t count since Leia called with an urgent request and Rey spent the day working through it. Which meant that even though she didn’t like the fact that Poe spent all day holed up in his studio/workshop, Rey had no leg to stand on. She was just as bad (though in all honesty, probably even worse).

Thursday dawned bright and hot, and either by coincidence or design, Finn and Rose invited her out to the farm for a swim in their pond. It felt like they were back in high school, laying out on the dock, racing to the center buoy and back, playing a complicated game of chicken they called “queen of the raft.” The only thing missing had been Poe, who joined them later for a cookout and bonfire under the stars.

By the time Friday rolled around, Rey was done. She’d been home damn near a week and had yet to spend a full day with her fiancé. Sure, they’d had mornings and evenings and more than one sleepless night, but she wanted what she’d come here for in the first place. Twenty-four uninterrupted hours with the love of her life. 

Not to mention that not a single soul had mentioned her rapidly approaching thirtieth birthday. It felt a little childish to say, but knowing Poe and her dad, to say nothing of Finn and Rose, she’d been expecting balloons and fanfare and maybe a teensy weensy party to celebrate. It wasn’t even like they had an excuse. Her damn birthday was a national holiday. Pretty unforgettable if you asked her.

So she woke early and got downstairs before Poe was finished in the bathroom, ready and waiting for him with a cup of coffee by the time he joined her in the kitchen.

“Morning, Sunshine,” he said, bending down to kiss her with a smile on his face. “Someone’s an early bird this morning. Hope that means you’re ready to finish our conversation from last night.”

Rey’s face heated at the memory of the very naked way she’d gotten out of that particular conversation. “Oh, you remember that?”

“It was a good distraction. Scratch that, it was a mind blowing distraction, but my memory is better. So are we going to talk about why you don’t want to set a date?”

Right. Now she remembered why her first instinct had been to strip. 

It turned out that when Poe was finally ready to talk about the wedding, Rey no longer was. So it goes.

“Poe, it’s not…” she trailed off, trying to gather her thoughts. “It’s not that I don’t want to set a date.”

“Then what is it?” he asked, not letting his obvious exasperation with her show. “We don’t have a venue or a date or even a color scheme. You don’t have a dress. Did you even ask Rose about maid of honor? I don’t know because we don’t talk about it.” He sighed, scrubbing one hand over his face. “Do you even want to get married?” He said it gently, with none of the venom she would have injected into every word had she been in his shoes. Once again, she wondered what the hell she’d done to deserve this man. Because it must have been something good.

“Yes!” she practically shouted, wanting him to get the message loud and clear. “Of course I want to marry you. It’s just… we only see each other every other weekend, and those are the good months. We want kids, but we live in different states. How does that even work? And what happens when you’re ready to start our family but I’m not willing to give up Resistance?” Rey’s voice cracked on the last word, tears pricking at her eyes. It was one thing to think like this at night when she was trying to sleep, but hearing it out loud made their very obvious issues all too real. “We can’t even manage to spend a whole day together when I’m here for a week, how are we going to handle a marriage?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He wrapped her in his arms. “We do not need to plan the rest of our lives right this moment, just the wedding. We’ll figure it all out eventually.”

“You’ve been saying that for seven months now. We have to make these decisions at some point soon.”

Poe sighed. “I know. But every time a new hurdle comes up, we always seem to overcome it.”

So optimistic. Rey wished she could be like that. But she wasn’t, and she was just about to open her mouth to wonder aloud when their luck would run out when the doorbell rang.

The guilty look on Poe’s face told her that may not have been a coincidence.

“We are not finished with this conversation,” she said, stomping off to get rid of whoever was at the front door. 

Who of course happened to be the second most stubborn person on the planet. 

Rey slapped a smile on her face. “Hey, Rose. Sorry, but it’s really not a good time.”

“Nonsense,” she replied, sidestepping Rey to let herself in. “It’s always a good time with me. Come on, grab your purse. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Tempting as that sounded, especially since she’d been waiting for someone, anyone to acknowledge her birthday, she and Poe weren’t done here. “Listen, we’re kind of in the middle of something right now…”

“No, no, you should go,” came Poe’s voice from behind her. Rey turned to see him standing in the hall with a smile on his face. “I have to-”

“Work,” Rey finished for him. “Poe, we should really keep talking about this.”

“We will. Tonight. I promise.” He closed the distance between them, dropping a soft kiss on her forehead. “Now, go have fun. This will keep.”

Before she knew what was happening, Rey was being herded out of the house and into Rose’s car, where she found herself a half hour later, trying not to pout as she half-listened to her friend chatter away.

“So what do you think about a cabin for the bachelorette...”

Logically, Rey knew she had no right to be mad. This was not the first time work had gotten in the way with them. It was just the first time that Poe was the culprit. Which wasn’t fair to Poe. He’d always been nothing but patient and kind while Rey consistently put work first. Hell, he’d encouraged it, wanting her to have the career she’d always dreamed of. And now he was asking for a little of that understanding in return and she couldn’t even manage to not pick a fight about it. 

“Earth to Rey. Are you even listening to me?”

And now she was being a bad friend on top of it. Rey sighed. Would she ever learn?

“Sorry, I got a little lost in my head. What were you saying?”

“I was just trying to see if you guys picked a date yet.” Rose hesitated at whatever look crossed Rey’s face. “Wait a second, is everything ok?”

Rey took a deep breath.

And watched Rose’s eyes grow wider and wider as she confessed it all, the worries and fears and yes, even the fight she’d accidentally just walked into.

“Oh god, Rey. I had no idea. I think we always just assumed…”

“Assumed what?” said Rey, almost afraid to ask.

Rose’s eyes shifted guiltily toward her. “That Poe would just eventually follow you to Coruscant.”

Of course they believed Poe would pick up and move his entire life for her. When in her life had she ever compromised? So it would be Poe who gave up running his business and Poe who sacrificed his friends and family and town. No one would think to wonder if Rey even wanted to live in Coruscant full time, least of all Rey herself. But as she thought about it, she found that to be the truth. 

She had no desire to stay in Coruscant.

Though she loved Leia and her job, the city no longer held her in thrall. Now it was a means to an end on good days, and the one thing standing between her and her family on the bad ones. Every minute she spent in Coruscant was a minute spent missing Yavin and her dad and the house and the quaint square and her friends. And that wasn’t even taking into account the Poe of it all.

When she’d taken the job with Resistance, it had been with the stipulation that she’d move to a work from home model once she’d gotten her feet under her. And though it had only been about seven months, Rey felt she’d done just that. She’d won more accounts this year so far than anyone else on her level, she’d successfully run proposals and pitches, hell, they even called her in to help right struggling accounts that weren’t hers. But every time she’d brought it up to Leia so far, the older woman sidestepped her inquiries. Almost like she didn’t have to heart to tell Rey it just wasn’t going to happen.

How had things become so tangled?

But there was no time for her to ponder that question, not when Rose was finally slowing down, turning the car into a small parking lot.

“Rose,” she said, her voice taking on a warning tone. 

It was a wedding dress shop. Rose had driven her an hour to go to a wedding dress shop.

“Just hear me out. Poe mentioned that you guys had stalled on the wedding stuff, and I thought maybe if you had a dress…” she trailed off at the look on Rey’s face.

“That all of our problems will just disappear?”

“Ok, in my defense, I didn’t know any of that when I made the appointment.” Rose gave her a nervous look before rallying. “But come on, it could be fun! We’ll drink champagne, try on dresses we can’t afford. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Well, she had a point. There was really no harm in trying on a few dresses. And maybe there would be a miracle and she’d suddenly become a blushing bride, hellbent on getting down the aisle and dragging the groom with her. Rey chuckled to herself. Poe would absolutely love that.

“Ok. I guess it couldn’t hurt to look.”

Rose let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god. I would not forgive myself if I’d messed up my turn.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Rose’s face turned brilliant red.

Rey narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean ‘your turn?’”

“I meant our day together,” she chattered away nervously. “You know. Friend bonding time. And the last day of your vacation! You don’t want to ruin that.”

That feeling that had been growing on her all week reared its ugly head. Between Poe’s excuses and the distractions and the parade of friends and family, there was no doubt in her mind. Poe was most definitely up to something.

But there was nothing she could do about that now. So she simply raised her brow at Rose before getting out of the car.

When she opened the door to the shop, she was treated to the surprise of a lifetime when she saw two familiar faces.

“Finn? Dad? What are you doing here?” Rey couldn’t help the smile on her face, despite the all around fishy circumstances.

“Surprise!” came Rose’s voice from behind her. 

“Rosie thought you could use a cheering section,” said Finn by way of explanation. “So here we are.”

“And I may know nothing about dresses,” added her dad, a soft smile on his face. “But I couldn’t miss seeing my little girl in a wedding dress.”

Rey found herself suddenly misty-eyed, a swell of emotion she hadn’t been expecting taking over. “Damnit.”

Rose gave her a concerned look. “What?”

“I wanted to stay mad about this.”

Her cheering section erupted in laughter. 

“Come on, stubborn girl.” Her dad slung an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s find you a dress.”

Two hours later, Rey was starting to feel that annoyance creep back in. She’d tried on dresses in every silhouette, neckline, and variation of white, off-white, and blush, but nothing had stuck. In fact, the dresses she’d tried on so far had ranged from ‘no thank you’ to ‘hell no,’ without even a maybe in sight.

But Rose was determined. So Rey wandered the racks in an itchy strapless number that was firmly in the hell no pile while Rose tried to explain to the salesgirl for the fifth time what they were looking for. 

“No, we want feminine, not girly.”

The salesgirl sounded confused. “But aren’t those the same?”

Rey chuckled into her third glass of free champagne. She had absolutely no clue what Rose was trying to say either. Though strangely, Rey found she didn’t mind being here. The shop was quiet, almost peaceful as she ran her fingers down a line of dresses. So much beading. And taffeta. A shiver went down her spine. Definitely not for her.

However, as she moved onto the next rack, a hint of floral lace caught her eye. Curious, she pulled it out to get a better look.

“Hey Rose,” she said, unable to take her eyes off the softly flowing tulle.

Rose looked up from where she was deep in conversation with the shop girl. “Yeah?”

“What do you think about this one?”

It only took a second before Rose was next to her. “Damn.”

Well, that sounded promising. “Should I try it on?”

“How is that even a question? Yes!” Rose grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the fitting room.

The current monstrosity was being held up by closepins, and it took forever for Rose to get the damn thing off and back onto the hanger. Rey shifted nervously from foot to foot as Rose carefully removed the new dress from the hanger. This one felt different than the rest, more important somehow. 

With Rose’s help she stepped into the dress, letting the soft lining whisper against her skin as together they brought it up. 

As Rose pulled the zipper up, she let out a quiet, “Huh.”

Rey was almost afraid to ask. “What?”

“Nothing bad, it’s just…” she trailed off for a second before adding, “It fits.”

That was a little odd. Every other dress she’d tried on so far had to be held up using special clothespins. But as Rose finished fastening the line of pearl buttons, she realized it not only fit, it fit like a glove.

“Huh,” came Rose’s voice again.

“Ok, what is it this time?”

Rose took the tag in her hand. “This is the last one. And it’s on sale.”

A chill went up Rey’s spine. Almost like it was meant to be.

“Ok, let’s see you,” said Rose once everything was buttoned and tied and zipped. 

Rey turned.

There was no mirror in the dressing room, the idea being that the bride-to-be had to parade into the shop to model for her friends and family like they did on those ridiculous shows. And there and only there would you find a three-way mirror to see for yourself. So Rey had nothing but Rose’s reaction to go by.

“Oh,” whispered Rose, her eyes wide.

“Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad ‘oh,’” she asked, chuckling nervously.

A wide smile bloomed on her friend’s face. “I think you need to see for yourself.”

The anticipation nearly killed her as she was led into the main room, her dad and Finn waiting for them in the fancy chairs, champagne in hand.

Her dad was the first to speak. “Oh, Rey,” he said quietly, a look on his face unlike any she’d seen before.

“Peanut, it’s…” Finn trailed off, apparently unable to finish the sentence.

“Close your eyes,” demanded Rose as they neared the little pedestal in front of the mirror. 

“Rose…”

She waved Rey off. “Trust me, you’re gonna want to do this.”

Rey rolled her eyes, but did as told, letting Rose lead her blindly to the mirror.

“Ok, step up.” Rey could feel her going around and arranging the dress just so. “And open.”

Rey opened her eyes.

It was… well breathtaking felt a little over dramatic for a dress, but that was the word that came to mind. Maybe she should cool it on the champagne.

But it was perfect for her. Simple in its elegance. Creamy floral lace dominated the bodice and crept up the illusion neckline toward her shoulders. A thin ribbon accentuated her narrow waist, the lace tapering off near her hips to give way to a gently flowing tulle skirt that reached all the way to the floor and extended into a small train. While fitted, nothing about the dress was constricting, the whole thing providing her a freedom of movement she hadn’t expected from a wedding dress. It was light and airy and just a touch whimsical, but not over the top. Feminine, not girly. 

This was her dress.

Everything else faded away, the worries and fears replaced with a deep seated knowledge. She wanted to marry Poe. More than anything in this world, she wanted to stand up in front of all their friends and family and declare her love for Poe to the world.

“New Year’s Eve,” she said to nobody in particular. Her pronouncement was met with confused silence. “I want to marry Poe on New Year’s Eve in this dress.” She turned to Rose. “Your barn, the one where we had the Jingle Ball, is it booked on New Year’s?”

Rose looked at her like she was a little crazy. Which, full disclosure, she may have been. “Uh, this New Year’s? Like, just shy of six months away?”

“Yes.” 

“Let me check.” Rose brought up something on her phone, scrolling, scrolling while Rey held her breath. It felt too perfect that they would get married at the same place it all began on the one year anniversary of the day he came back for her. And now that she’d decided, she had her heart set on it. The thought that they wouldn’t be able to do it… “It’s wide open.”

The rest would come. Of that, she was absolutely certain. 

The saleswoman chose that moment to make her way over. “So, what do we think?”

Rey turned, the smile on her face so wide it made her cheeks ache.

“I think it’s the one.”

Rey stretched out in bed the morning of her birthday. She was exhausted and sore, having spent half the night celebrating her decision with Poe in every room of the house. Naked. Unfortunately, she was so wrapped up in that, she accidentally forgot to actually tell Poe about those decisions. But it didn’t matter. They had all day to hash it out before fireworks. That is, unless he had something extra special planned for her.

She could hear him moving around downstairs and figured it was time to get up, grabbing a thin robe before bounding down the stairs.

But when she walked into the kitchen, she found that Poe was not alone.

“Dad?”

Ben Kenobi was standing at the stove like he had every year on her birthday growing up, making his famous red, white, and blue pancakes. They were just blueberry pancakes with strawberry syrup, but there was something special about the way he made them just so, putting a heaping stack in front of her as he called her his Fourth of July firecracker. 

It was a bit of a joke between them, this being their adopted country and all. Those early years in England, her birthday had been just another day. But when he’d brought her here it had become a whole to-do, complete with parades and fireworks and a giant stack of patriotic pancakes.

And Poe had arranged it all for her. Now this was a birthday surprise she could get behind.

“Happy Fourth of July!” her father said, dropping that heaping plate in front of her. “Figured we could revive the old Independence Day tradition.”

Rey tried not to let her face fall. He couldn’t have forgotten her birthday. It was their thing. 

He gestured toward the pancakes. “Well, dig in! And there’s more where that came from if you’re still hungry.”

Poe, who had been silently watching the exchange from across the island, put a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. Surely, he’d wish her a happy birthday and then Dad would jump in, feeling terrible for not saying it sooner, and all would be forgotten as they celebrated.

But naturally, that wasn’t the case.

“Morning, Sunshine,” said Poe, dropping a kiss on top of her hair. “Those look good.”

It was like she was living in the twilight zone. The two most important people in the world to her had forgotten her birthday. And she was too embarrassed and hurt to bring it up. They’d remember eventually. They had to. And then they’d be embarrassed and apologetic and all would be forgiven.

But as the morning went on, Rey’s certainty started to waver. Oh, they talked about the parade and speculated how over the top Lando went with the fireworks this year and wondered who would be the first to get drunk and pass out in the commons, but not a word was said about the newly minted thirty-year-old sitting in their midst.

Finally, Poe turned to her. “You’re awfully quiet this morning.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m a little tired,” she lied, not all that convincingly. Had they really no idea?

“Well, what’s on the agenda for today?”

Rey narrowed her eyes at him, her stomach rebelling against the pancakes. “I thought we were going to check out the festivities in town,” she said carefully. 

The look on his face told her everything he was about to say a moment before he said it. “Oh Rey, I thought we talked about this. I’m gonna be tied up until at least mid-afternoon, maybe later. But we can still meet for the fireworks.”

Rey found herself blinking back tears. And mad about it. She was being stupid, she knew that. But it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“Are you sure it can’t wait until Monday?” She hated how weak her voice sounded, how defeated.

She already knew the answer, but he said it out loud anyway. “I wish, but-”

“Deadlines,” she said at the exact same time as Poe. “Of course. It’s fine. I’ll see you at fireworks.”

He hesitated a second like he was reconsidering something before the smile returned to his face. “I knew you’d understand.” With a lingering kiss he was gone, the back door snapping shut on what should have been her perfect day.

“Everything okay?” asked her father, real concern in his voice.

Rey swallowed hard. “Yeah. Of course.”

“Come on, let’s get dressed and head into town. Just because Poe has to work, doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.”

So less than an hour later, Rey found herself doing just that as she wandered through the little festival in town arm-in-arm with her father. It was smaller than the Christmas Market, but not by much, many of the same vendors setting up to sell their summer wares. Kids chased each other through the booths, a few playing with sparklers on the grass despite the bright sun.

This was the stuff she missed when she was in Coruscant. That small town feeling, the community. What she wouldn’t give to spend every day here. 

“Rey!”

Rose’s voice carried across the square, putting an end to her spiraling thoughts. Rey smiled. Finally, someone who would definitely remember her birthday.

Rose rushed over to where Rey and her dad were standing. “There you are!” Rose paused, catching her breath. Rey tried not to look smug. She was ready for the celebration. But her face fell when Rose said a second later, “I could really use your help with the parade.”

It should have been no surprise that Rey found herself once again drawn in to the whirlwind of the day, but there she was still running around hours later, a clipboard in one hand. Just like old times. She’d helped with the parade, got the dance team to the stage on time, and now she was busy manning the facepainting booth while she gave the volunteer a bathroom break. At least it had distracted her from the fact that her fiancé was nowhere to be found, that she still hadn’t told him that she’d picked a date, and oh yeah, the little fact that every single person in her life had somehow forgotten her birthday.

Dusk was approaching when she finally got a text from Poe.

Poe (7:32 PM): Hey, I’m here. Meet me by the gazebo?

Rey sighed, suddenly exhausted. She’d have to tell him now that he’d forgotten her birthday. And knowing Poe, he’d be absolutely horrified. Not that that was wrong, just that she had no energy to deal with what would surely be his overreaction.

You (7:32 PM): On my way.

Rey realized something was up as she made her way through the town and over to the gazebo. Where had all the people gone? It was too early for fireworks, but the street was nearly deserted, only a few of the vendors and a couple stragglers remaining.

She rounded the corner, the gazebo in sight, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Out in front, and surrounded by all her friends and family and half the town, stood Poe, a wide smile on his face.

Together they shouted, “Surprise!”

Poe stepped forward, his eyes doing that crinkly thing she loved. “You didn’t think we’d actually forgotten your birthday, Sunshine?”

Rey blinked once, speechless, before promptly bursting into tears. 

Poe had her in his arms immediately. “Oh god, Rey. I’m so sorry. This whole week has been a distraction, I didn’t think you’d actually-”

“You bastard,” she said, no bite to the words as she smiled through her tears. “You really had me going!”

“I guess the plan worked a little too well,” came Finn’s voice from somewhere over Poe’s shoulder.

She let go of Poe to find herself face-to-face with her father.

“Happy birthday my little Fourth of July firecracker.”

That set her off again, Rey practically throwing herself into Ben’s arms. From there it was a sea of hugs and well wishes as she made her way through the crowd. At some point, Lando started up the grill, hot dogs and hamburgers being passed around. 

She couldn’t hide her surprise when she found Leia and her illusive husband Han among the guests. “What are you going here?”

“Oh, like I’d ever miss my protégé’s big day,” Leia said by way of answer. Next thing she knew, Rey was being pulled into a crushing hug. “Happy birthday, Rey. I’m gonna really miss seeing you around the office.”

Rey pulled back in a panic. “Uh, are you firing me right now?”

Leia laughed, waving off her concern. “Of course not. I’m granting your request to work from home.”

“Really?”

“Really. We both know that with the technology we have, you really only need to come into the office for pitches. You belong here, Rey, and I’ve been selfishly putting this off because I’m going to miss seeing your smiling face every day. Your desk in Coruscant will always be waiting for you, but as of right now, you’re officially head of the Yavin office.”

Rey threw her arms around her mentor. “Thank you.”

“Happy birthday, dear.”

It felt like a thousand hugs later that it was finally time for fireworks, Rey settling down on a blanket next to Poe. 

“Guess what?” she asked, trying to contain what must have been a shit-eating grin.

Poe kissed the tip of her nose. “What?”

“I am officially a full time Yavin resident,” she proudly declared.

His face grew panicked. “Did you quit? Because of our fight?”

“No, no, Leia finally granted my request. I can work from home. From our home, here in Yavin.”

Poe immediately caught her lips with his own. “That’s amazing news. Are you sure you’re ready to leave Coruscant?”

“I’ve never been more sure of something in my life.” She paused, reconsidering. “Well, that is, except for you.”

“I love you," he said, eyes going crinkly once more.

“I love you, too. Oh, and one more thing,” she said right as the first firework popped overhead. “How do you feel about a New Year’s wedding?”

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops, when I first posted, I forgot to add the link to what I imagined as Rey’s dress. So here it is: https://www.bhldn.com/products/reagan-gown?via=Z2lkOi8vdXJibi9Xb3JrYXJlYTo6Q2F0YWxvZzo6Q2F0ZWdvcnkvQ0E3MjA3QjY


End file.
